Cyclone Ditwah Devastates Sri Lanka: Death Toll Surges to 159, Hundreds Missing Amid Floods and Landslides

Cyclone Ditwah Devastates Sri Lanka: Death Toll Surges to 159, Hundreds Missing Amid Floods and Landslides

By Samaran, Founding Editor
WorldNow.co.in
Colombo, Sri Lanka – November 30, 2025

COLOMBO – In a tragedy unfolding across the island nation, the death toll from Cyclone Ditwah has climbed to 159, with 203 people still unaccounted for, as relentless floods and landslides continue to cripple Sri Lanka’s infrastructure and communities. The storm, which barreled through the country earlier this week, has triggered the deadliest natural disaster here since 2017, displacing over half a million residents and prompting urgent international appeals for aid.

The cyclone’s wrath, characterized by wind speeds reaching 65 kilometers per hour and torrential downpours exceeding 300 millimeters in just 24 hours, has battered eastern and central regions hardest. Landslides in the tea-growing highlands of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya claimed dozens of lives early on, while flash floods submerged low-lying areas around the capital, Colombo, turning streets into raging rivers and isolating entire villages.

According to the latest update from Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC), nearly 78,000 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters, with rescue operations hampered by ongoing showers and debris-choked roads. “This is the most widespread rainfall in the last decade, covering the entire island,” said A. Gunasekara, director general of the irrigation department, emphasizing the scale of the crisis.

Compounding the human toll, the Road Development Authority (RDA) Director General reported that 206 roads remain blocked by mudslides and fallen trees, while 10 bridges have sustained severe damage, severing vital links between rural areas and emergency services. Telecommunications blackouts and power outages have further isolated affected zones, leaving families in desperate limbo as search teams navigate treacherous terrain.

Cyclone Ditwah, the fourth named storm of the 2025 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, formed offshore Sri Lanka’s southeastern coast on November 26 before intensifying into a cyclonic storm. Named by Yemen—referring to the Detwah Lagoon on Socotra Island—it churned northwest, making landfall on Friday morning and spawning the deadly cascade of weather events. Though the system is now weakening as it edges toward southern India, residual monsoon rains are forecast to linger into early December, raising fears of renewed flooding in the north.

The humanitarian response has been swift but strained. Sri Lanka’s government has convened emergency meetings with foreign envoys, formally requesting assistance for relief supplies, medical teams, and heavy machinery. Neighboring India has led the charge under Operation Sagar Bandhu, dispatching two aircraft loaded with over 80 personnel, food rations totaling 6.5 metric tons, and National Disaster Response Force equipment to Colombo. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed profound condolences, pledging additional support “in this hour of grief.”

The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, led by Secretary-General Mahesh Gunasekara, warned that relief needs are escalating daily. “Although the cyclone is slowly moving away, it is not over for us yet,” he said, noting that swollen rivers and stranded survivors in remote areas continue to swell demand for boats, blankets, and clean water. Over 200,000 homes and fields have been inundated, threatening food security in an already economically fragile nation.

As the sun sets on another day of devastation, survivors in flood-ravaged Malwana and Wellampitiya wade through waist-deep waters, salvaging what they can from ruined homes. For many, the storm’s roar has given way to an eerie silence, broken only by the cries of the bereaved. International aid organizations, including the United Nations, are mobilizing, but experts caution that without sustained global solidarity, Sri Lanka’s road to recovery could stretch for months.

WorldNow.co.in will continue to monitor this unfolding crisis, bringing you the latest updates from the ground. Our thoughts are with the resilient people of Sri Lanka as they rebuild from the ruins of Cyclone Ditwah.